ARTICLES ABOUT BALLOT POSITION BY DATE - PAGE 2

You'd have thought Craig Neely would be kicking up his heels. The Emmaus lawyer and would-be successor to state Rep. Jane Baker struck a political pot of gold Wednesday when he drew the top ballot position in the 134th District Republican primary. Good news, indeed, for an upstart who's playing in the political big leagues against a seasoned pro who's batting a thousand with the voters. Neely declared it a banner day, but his voice quickly took on a more serious tone. "It's not going to make any difference when voters go to the polls," he predicted.

A coordinated effort to put opponents of a proposed new Catasauqua High School on the school board apparently succeeded Tuesday as two new names made their way to the November ballot. But the write-in campaign took only one of the four pro-school candidates out of the running for four four-year seats. That candidate, Edward Bruchak, had resigned from the school board in April, which was too late to have his name removed from the ballot. New-school supporter June Hahn, an incumbent, lost a bid for a four-year seat but won a spot on both the Democratic and Republican ballots for the sole two-year spot that's open.

A vacant seat on Pen Argyl Council created by this month's resignation of Walter Guthrie has attracted three applicants, including a council candidate on the May 15 primary ballot. Charles F. Spink Jr., a Republican candidate in the 4th Ward, submitted a letter of interest for the post, which Guthrie vacated to spend more of his retirement in Florida. Guthrie, a Democrat, was elected to a four-year term in the 4th Ward in 1997. Barring write-in campaigns, Spink, 40, of 630 George St. is virtually assured election to a four-year term.

Both Democratic County Executive Glenn Reibman and Republican County Councilman Ron Angle lost the ballot position sweepstakes for their Northampton County executive primaries on Wednesday. In a lottery held at the Government Center in Easton, colorful Bethlehem Democrat Will Power and Republican Forks Township Manager George Gemmel won the top slots on the May 15 primary ballot for county executive. Candidates who were present and employees of the county voter registration office shook numbered red plastic balls from a funnel-shaped shaker, Parcheesi style, to determine the ballot positions.

The luck o' the leprechaun smiled on Irishwoman Pamela D. Varkony on Wednesday, and on Siobhan Bennett, who despite her Irish-sounding first name is of French and Swedish extraction. The two female candidates in the Allentown mayoral races won top ballot positions in their bids for the major parties' nominations at the casting-of-lots exercise conducted by the Lehigh County Election Board. With candidates drawing in alphabetical order from a vessel containing 16 numbered, rounded dice, Varkony drew last, but came up with No. 1, assuring her the top Republican ballot spot.

In Bucks County political circles, the names Bernard Salera and Catherine Atkinson are little known outside the small group in the county devoted to political extremist Lyndon LaRouche. But thanks to some luck in last week's ballot draw, Salera and Atkinson are on their way to being noticed. Salera drew first position while Atkinson drew third spot on the crowded county ballot for delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Political insiders regard a high ballot position worth as much as an extra 5 or 10 percent of the vote, with the theory that some people will cast ballots for the first names they see when confronted with a confusing list of unfamiliar candidates.

Bucks County Republican leaders may have put one problem behind them this week when they voted to dump state Rep. Thomas W. Druce from their 2000 ticket, but not all their troubles are going away as easily. They face what has become a regular tangle with maverick Republican Thomas Lingenfelter. The Doylestown historical documents dealer has run for several offices over the past few years, forcing endorsed GOP candidates to spend money on their primary races they would rather save for the general election.

Democratic challenger Isabel Godwin received a boost to her candidacy for Bucks County commissioner Wednesday when she drew first position on the ballot for the May primary. Political insiders have always regarded first ballot position in a crowded race to be worth an extra 5 or 10 percent of the vote, under the theory that when voters are faced with a lot of unfamiliar names they often pull the lever on top. "No. 1 is truly the best position," Godwin said. "I'm delighted and surprised it worked out this way."

The luck of the Irish shone upon some Lehigh County political candidates Wednesday, while others could only chuckle like leprechauns when the numbers they drew for positions on the primary election ballot left them in the shadows. The atmosphere was pleasant during the St. Patrick's Day drawing at the county Government Center in Allentown. Opponents who may be hurling gobs of figurative mud at one another later in the campaign engaged in friendly small talk and light jesting. Many candidates wore green and speculated about the role the color might play in their draws.

Angry about speculation that the Northampton County Republican Party has engineered an open ballot position on County Council for L. Jack Bradt, Pen Argyl Councilwoman Angela Uliana-Murphy on Friday asked to be considered for the slot on the November ballot. A candidate's withdrawal from the County Council race earlier this week opened up a GOP slot on the ballot. Uliana-Murphy dislikes the job Republican County Executive Bill Brackbill has done, despises his 911 plan, opposes Bradt's philosophy and employs one of Brackbill's biggest detractors.